Apple Reportedly Buys SnappyLabs App Developer

Even though it may be a one-man developer, Apple has reportedly acquired SnappyLabs, which came out with a photo application which was capable of capturing full resolution photos at 20 to 30 frames per second. On iTunes, the SnappyCam app was popular and only cost $1 but it appears to be gone from the iOS App Store.

The reason for the apps departure is still not completely known but if current reports are correct, it is because Apple acquired the company behind it, and therefore removed the app in order to use the software for itself.

John Papandriopoulos, the man behind SnappyLabs and SnappyCam, had been in talks with multiple companies about selling the application. In September, it was revealed that one of the companies that had shown interest in SnappyCam was Apple itself.

Not only has the application been removed from the store, but the website for SnappyLabs is also nowhere to be found and its Twitter account is now locked from public view without any official explanation.

SnappyCam, on iPhone, is the fastest smart-phone camera on earth. With it you can easily get that impossible, perfect shot, every time. SnappyCam also shoots unique living photos that capture the entire moment, not just a single snapshot in time. It’s like an interactive flip-book, in full 8 Mpx glory and at high-speed. – SnappyLabs

Assuming that Apple has acquired the company, it would make sense for it to bring Papandriopoulos on board in order to make sure that the software can be implemented into iOS and presumably, the official camera app.

Throughout all of 2013, Apple purchased numerous companies, some of which cost the Cupertino tech giant hundreds of millions of dollars. The exact details of the acquisition of SnappyLabs has yet to be revealed or even confirmed, but due to the app’s popularity and the interest that other companies had shown in it, Apple may have paid a good chunk of money for it.

Summary: Apple has reportedly acquired SnappyLabs, the one-man developer behind the popular SnappyCam application. The app was removed from the App Store and the developer’s website has been taken down which seems to confirm the acquisition.